Month: April 2004

Still got a couple of things to sort here, I tried to add a stylesheet switcher but couldn’t get it to work, initially it’ll only offer the same look but with a bigger font size (for my visually challenged readers). I’ve shuffled a few things around, and you may need to refresh the page to get the banner (above) to display properly, but I’m quite happy with the results – I’ve still to go through the rest of the site but it all works. One ‘funny’ is just how different it looks here on my work laptop as opposed to my home LCD. The colour tweakage may continue…

Ohh and there is a slight glitch with the Show/Hide Blogroll, in that you have to click it twice to get it to work but that was a fudge at best so it’ll need to do. And no, it doesn’t ‘remember’ it’s settings, but I’ve hidden the archives by default as I’m guessing most people will use the blogroll a lot more than the archives? Right?

Now, can anyone say Scottish Blogs BETA? Or, My Kinja?

UPDATE: The Scottish Blogs BETA isn’t fully operational – there are only 8 or so sites in the database, the “Add Your Site” form doesn’t work properly as yet, and the member login isn’t in place and… a few other things I can’t remember. I’m posting the link to try and put some pressure on myself to get it finished.

Every now and again Louise gets ‘a notion’. Tonight the bathroom is on the receiving end, and I’m staying out of the road lest I be bleached, scrubbed and rinsed as well.

So, despite having better things to do, I’ll be tweaking the CSS here.

Whilst I fear he may regret having to filter thousands (tens of?) results, University of Zurich graduate student Daniel Joerg would appreciate five minutes of your time to fill out his weblog survey.

Coffee? Check.
Email by the bucketload? Check.
REAL Email less than 2% of total? Check.
Second coffee? Check.

Yes, it’s Monday morning. Already. I’m in a surprisingly upbeat mood, which is more than can be said for the blogrolling servers (so if this site is loading s l o w l y for you, that is probably the reason why). This is despite the fact that I am behind in the Scottish Blogs development (BETA due v.soon, honest!), that it rained most of the weekend and I’m worried that the neighbours cat will actually get lost in the jungle that is fast becoming our front garden, and I didn’t win the office Grand National sweepstake (I had Bear on Board – placed 8th – and Alexander Banquet – fell at the 15th. Glad they all made it back unharmed though).

It also takes into account the piece on the centenary of the Entente Cordiale on BBC Breakfast this morning, no mention of the “Auld Alliance” dating back some 700 years:

Scotland has had a special relationship with France – ‘The Auld Alliance’ – for over 700 years. Based originally on political expedience the relationship shifted in the late Eighteenth Century when, referring to the exemplary thought emerging from the Scottish Enlightenment, Voltaire famously said: “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation”.

Bloody hell, I’ve started quoting a quote containing Voltaire. Don’t worry, low-brow content will return to your screens shortly (such as the Big Brother auditions featuring the Tourette’s sufferer).

New kids on the blog.

You HAVE read it, right?

What I really like is the way the main subject handles it.. blithely mentioning it before posting about trying to wash using hair conditioner. True class.

P.S. I created that little BdJ image – so can I hang onto the tails of this publicity? No? Please?

Farmer’s market wasn’t up to much, I imagine it will be better as we move towards summer. The antiques fair was VERY serious, spotted several nice things and actually pondered pay £450 for one of them but decided against it… we’d like to eat this month, and next.

But the highlight of the day has been the three ladies in my family. I love them dearly but they can all be a little… let’s say… scatterbrained.

Example 1 – My Wife
On the way home we were stopped at a set of lights on the road Louise takes to work. There are some fairly major roadworks going on at the moment. Just before the lights changed to green, a fire engine had gone barrelling through them, lights flashing, horn blaring, siren going. The lights changed, and I edged forward, wary that another fire engine might appear round the corner.

Louise asked what I was doing, the lights were at green. I replied that I was watching out in case another fire engine came round the corner.

A minute or so later my darling wife admitted that she hadn’t seen the large silver and red vehicle go past. That was the one with blue flashing lights, a siren sounding, and the driver leaning on the horn. Quite a skill as it passed all of ten feet from our car.

I’ll be driving ALL the time from now on.

Example 2 – My Sister
She’d been out the night before and got up in time for lunch with us when we returned from the farmer’s market. She picked up one of those little creme caramel tubs. If you’ve never had one before it is a bit like a yoghurt pot with the papery seal on the top, except it has a tiny hole in the bottom, sealed with foil, which allows a little air in so you can easily plop it out onto a plate. You open the top, turn the pot upside down and remove the foil – voila! one mini creme caramel sits on your plate.

We had lunch and my sister moved onto her creme caramel. She attracted our attention when she cursed lightly whilst shaking the inverted tub up and down: “It won’t come out…”.

My Dad, jokingly, enquired if she had removed the top of the tub as well as the foil seal.

She hadn’t.

Example 3 – My Mum
My Mum and her friend had driven into town to run some errands, they both had a few bits and bobs to do, and my Mum had to go to the bank first. My Mum’s friend dropped her off saying she would go to the end of the street, turn the car round, and come back and pick up my Mum before they drove to the supermarket.

My Mum got out of the car, went into the bank, deposited a cheque and came back out. She got into the car sitting there, and was reaching for her seatbelt when a man said: “Excuse me, I think you’ve got the wrong car”.

My Mum’s friend was sitting in the OTHER red car outside the bank, peeping her horn.

So it’s been a day of laughter, slight boredom (why do we keep wandering round these ‘home/lifestyle’ shops) and an overcooked Tuna steak. I even managed to get up on a Sunday morning before my Dad, quite a feat.

Thanks for the cinema suggestions, we might go tomorrow evening.. or.. next weekend. Busy week coming up ya see, but more on that later.